. strawberry banana oat bars .

You’d never believe that these soft and chewy strawberry banana oat bars are vegan, gluten-free, refined sugar-free, and made without any butter or oil! The perfect healthy breakfast or snack!

Remember my frozen strawberry conundrum? Where I was left with bags and bags of nothing but frozen strawberries after picking out all the rest of the fruits from my bags of frozen mixed berries? It got to be a serious problem… I had, like, 4 bags going.

And it’s not that I have anything against strawberries, but trying to eat them frozen is like trying to bite into a rock — those suckers are hard! And because I’m afraid of the dentist and would prefer to avoid ending up in ‘the chair’ with a chipped tooth that needed fixing, I pretend the strawberries don’t exist and eat around them until that’s all that’s left in the bag. And then I go out and buy another bag. Womp, womp.

So what’s a girl to do when life hands her a bag of lemons frozen strawberries? Make jam…

Ta da!

This was my first time making/trying chia seed jam, and I have to admit that I’m pretty impressed with the stuff! I’ve had my gripes with chia seeds in the past (mostly surrounding the fact that they hang out in my teeth all day without me noticing), but they’re definitely useful little buggers. Not to mention loaded with plant-based protein, fiber, and omega-3’s. So much goodness in a [slightly creepy] little seed…

But I digress. This post isn’t about chia seed jam. I mean, it is, but only as a stepping stone to the main event — some pretty epic strawberry banana oat bars…

You guys. You guys. We need to talk about these bars, because they seriously knocked blew my socks right off. Or at least they would have if I was wearing any socks.

I mean, I expected to like them, but not to the point where I was saying: “Holy snap.“BITE. “These may just be…“BITE. “The best oatmeal bars…” BITE. “I’ve ever had.” BITE. But it’s true! Which actually surprised me because… well, I’ll tell you in a sec. Right after we take a closer look at what we’re working with here…

Oh.em.GEE. Now would you believe me if I told you that these bars are made without any refined sugar, butter, or oil? And that they’re also vegan and gluten-free? Because almost none of my taste testers did!

I wanted a really simple oatmeal base that was healthy enough to eat for breakfast but didn’t taste overly healthy, you know? None of that dry and bland nonsense. My bars needed to be: soft, tender, chewy, doughy, and plenty flavourful. And oh.man were they ever…

These may just be the best oatmeal bars I’ve ever had. And the secret? Bananas. I’m serious. The crust/topping is made from nothing but oats and bananas (with a little maple syrup for extra sweetness), which is why I was so surprised. Heck, I even made another batch with a slightly more elaborate crust involving coconut oil, but I actually preferred this version a lot more.

I think I mentioned before that bananas are miracle workers? Because they very much are. Not only do they help make these bars super soft and doughy, but they also add a delicious banana flavour that compliments the strawberry jam perfectly. And if you’re not a fan of strawberry jam or don’t currently have tonnes of frozen strawberries hogging up all the space in your freezer? Something like blueberries or cherries would be an awesome substitute. Heck, you could even use a store-bought jam if you wanted to skip the process of making your own. Just take my word for it and make these bars — you’ll be pleasantly surprised!

Add strawberries and maple syrup to a medium saucepan set over medium heat. Heat until the berries begin to release their liquid, about 5-15 minutes depending on whether or not they were thawed first. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, until berries begin to break down and thicken, about 5 -10 minutes. Use your spoon to break them apart further if desired.

Stir in the chia seeds and vanilla, continuing to cook for another 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow the jam to cool. It will continue to thicken the longer it sits, which is why I usually like to make it the night before I'm planning on making these bars.

Make the bars:

Preheat oven to 375F (190C) and prepare an 8x8 (20x20cm) baking dish by lining it with a sheet of aluminum foil or parchment paper, leaving a few inches of overhang on the sides to allow for easy removal. Spray foil with cooking spray and set aside.

Place 1 cup of oats in a food processor or blender, and process until they resemble a fine flour. Transfer the oat flour to a large mixing bowl, and add the remaining rolled oats and baking powder, mixing well.

Add the mashed bananas, maple syrup, and vanilla extract, and mix until everything is well combined and a dough is formed.

Transfer 2/3 of the mixture into your prepared baking pan, using your fingers or a spatula to ensure that it is pressed down tightly and evenly. Spoon chia jam over the surface, and use a spatula or knife to spread it evenly, making sure to only go within 1/4 of the edge to prevent the jam from burning. Sprinkle remaining oat mixture on top, breaking up bigger chunks and pressing down lightly.

Bake for 30 minutes until the top turns a light golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to fully cool in pan before cutting into bars.

Notes

* You can easily sub out strawberries for your favourite frozen fruit. Or use 3/4 cup store-bought jam if you don't want to make your own.** Make sure to use certified GF oats if you need these to be gluten-free.

What’s your favourite kind of jam? Blueberry. In a bag of frozen mixed berries, which berry do you pick out to snack on first? Always blueberries. Did anyone else go through a Nutri-Grain bar phase? I was obsessed with the apple cinnamon ones…

Reader Interactions

Comments

These look like the best oatmeal bars ever so I don’t doubt you! I have the same chia seed issues and I need to get over it I agree bananas just add so much goodness wherever they go. I’ve been eyeing this jam all weekend now!

Between theses bars and the mention of Nutri-Grain bars, so many OMGs to go around!! These looks divine, Amanda- I’m amazed that an ingredient list like that can turn into something so magical! Me thinks one of us need to eventually convert these bars into an Almond Butter & Jam version! And side note: I love that you call it jam rather than jelly! Jelly to me is what Americans consider jello!

An ABJ version would be magical <3 And that makes sense about the jelly thing! To me, jelly is a kind of jam that isn't made with whole fruits... just juices, sugar, and a thickener. Actually.. I should probably Google what the difference is.

Look at them bananas being awesome per usual. I am currently drooling over these because I am just about ready to eat breakfast. I wish I could just reach into the screen and grab one (or five)!
My favorite jam is either blueberry or raspberry. It’s fantastic on a buttered English muffin. And NutriGrain bars were definitely a part of my childhood— apple cinnamon was up there!

These look great! My favourite jam is blackberry. We have blackberry bushes everywhere out here and August is my favourite month because that’s when we pick them! The best ones are the big huge juicy ones hanging from the branch, all warm from the sun.

The sceptic that I am happens to be sitting with a bag of chia seeds (pricey little crunchy bugs!) so that is proof enough that they’re fast making a good name for themselves. I’ve had them in a smoothie a whopping 3 times already! What smoothie you ask? Why, your black forest smoothie of course! Given that I’ve never had the cake… the situation simply had to be remedied. Ohmyjumpingjiminycrickets.. that chocolate potion is goooood. Even working with a mix of frozen berries that includes the cherries themselves – heavenly! I can’t imagine it getting any better.

Confession: that smoothie has been breakfast at least 5 times in the past week. If you can, make it the night before and let it sit in the fridge overnight. It’s crazy how thick it becomes by the morning!

The struggle is real! I have the same problem when it comes to making the recipes I find online… If I’m being honest, I think I’ve made -maybe- 10 recipes in the past 6 years that I’ve been reading blogs? 😆 It’s a little overwhelming with all the recipes out there, and it’s tough when you’re experimenting with your own as well!

I wish one of these bars would appear in front of me right now! They look absolutely amazing. I’m promptly printing off the recipe now, so I remember I need to make them. Kudos for solving the Great Strawberry Dilemma of Spring 2015!

OKAY. I am in the exact same conundrum with the strawberries. Seriously, last week I found myself picking out ALL the bananas from the strawberry-banana frozen mix. I don’t even know why I bought the kind with strawberries… I knew I didn’t like them. But all that’s to say, these bars will be in my near future. Thankyouverymuch

I have a huge thing of chia seeds in my pantry that i have no idea what to do with. I long ago accepted the fact that I don’t really like them in oats and so now I just have them wasting away – these look AMAZING. I will gladly use my chia seeds to get these bad boys in my mouth ASAP.

These are bananas! Literally. Oh, the lame Monday puns … Honestly, though, these bars sound totally awesome.I will admit I’m a smidgen skeptical about the lack of fat in the dough but I trust your baking skills here :). Want!
I tried chia seed jam for the first time earlier this year, too, and was sold immediately. Being the lazy girl right there, though, I went the no-cook way and it worked a charm, still. Not quite like grandma’s cherry jam [my favourite since childhood and I was happy to find a jar in my parents’ fridge] but a good and quick alternative no less-

That’s exactly what I was skeptical about! But the bananas really do work like a charm. And… no-cook way for jam? Like just mashing them up and adding chia seeds? That would work! I’m not sure how well with frozen berries, though…

I did in fact use frozen then thawed berries all the times I made it so far. The reason was being a situation similar to yours with too many berries in my tiny freezer compartment so chia jam to the rescue. I have to keep experimenting with the amount of chia seeds needed to really thicken it up, though, but other than that it worked well.

UM…you are a freakin’ genius. I would have never thought to come up with these from a freezer full of frozen strawberries! And strawberry + banana is one of my very favorite combinations. Pinning to all the boards, mwuahaha! 😉

This is exactly the kind of baking that I like to do in my free time – kind of elaborate and time-consuming, but not overly so. I like to feel accomplished at the end of a recipe, not just a 15 minute whirl around a bowl, ya know? I definitely cannot wait to make these once exam insanity finishes in 8 days.

I adore the combo of strawberry and banana – you’re a genius 😀 And, yes, I used to love strawberry and blueberry Nutri-Grain bars… though I totally can’t think of the last time I had them. So strange how foods come and go in our lives like that. Thanks for the fabulous recipe!

Don’t you love when that happens with a recipe? Sometimes when that happens I have to make other people try it to see if I’m going crazy of if something is really that good.
These bars look beautiful and sound amazing – perfect to make for on-the-go breakfasts.
I think my favorite type of jam would have to be raspberry, perfect sweet/tart combo.

Hmmm, I have two ripe bananas sitting on my counter at this very moment. I was going to make muffins, but since these are your new favorite bars…..I’m going to have to give these a whirl. I also very much liked your blueberry bars and I happen to have already ground oats in my pantry. I tend to process a ton when I need them for a recipe and store the extras in a Tupperware for grab and go usage. Alright, it’s a done deal. I’m totally making these.

These sound super delicious. Just a quick question – did you really mean 375 degrees Celsius? I’m assuming it’s Fahrenheit, but thought I’d point it out….just in case someone tries to get their oven that hot. 😉

I think I had my last NutriGrain Abr when I was in the US in 1998 And I think Cinnamon Apple was my favorite too.
To be honest, I am not a huge fan of jam, except it is homemade by Mom. But I would definitely go for some of these bars! Oh, and the Chia Seeds stucking in the teeth – totally been there several times!

Look at us twinning hardcore with our matching chia jam recipes!! but girl…for real though these bars? amaze-balls. putting them on my to-make list NOW. and what a good use of my favorite new jam! although to be totally honest, I’ll need to make a fresh batch, because I went through that stuff ridiculously fast….

These look fantastic but I really dislike the taste of bananas (I know, I’m weird). Do you think I could sub applesauce or some other fruit puree? I can’t wait to make these with all the summer produce coming up! Thanks!

I made these last night and there were very, very good! I’m having a hard time not eating one after the other! I baked them like biscotti — one initial bake, then I let them cool a bit and cut them into bars, and then I baked them again for 15 minutes.

I skipped the jam topping because it was already pretty sweet with the maple syrup and my very ripe bananas, and I wanted something to pair with an apple or banana for a quick and easy breakfast rather that a dessert. I also had only quick oats and was concerned about texture in the end product, so I did not make oat flour — I just used two cups of quick oats. Added a little cinnamon (1 tsp) and nutmeg (a pinch), too, because that’s how I roll. 😀

I have this in the oven right now. Excited to try it. We have taken the Vegan diet one step farther and no oil is allowed so this sounds like the perfect snack. Always looking for more recipes and hard to find without oil or dairy.

Lovely recipe! I used it as an inspiration to kind do my own thing. I did the jam similarly, with frozen berries and maple syrup and chia seeds. I then cleaned off that saucepan and used it to heat up almond butter, cashew butter and more maple syrup until i mixed it evenly. then i poured that into a mixing bowl and mashed two bananas into it, added chewy hemp seeds, quinoa and steel cut oats. Still used vanilla extract, honey, baking powder. Instead of doing the topping I just mixed it all in together so it’d be uniform (my toddler is picky). Oh and I also used flaxseed powder for a fiber boost. When I licked the bowl it was sooooooooo good. Thanks for the recipe!

I have these in the oven now. My ‘dough’ ended up as ‘batter,’ and I ended up adding over another cup of oat flour to try to thicken it up to a consistency where I felt a spatula might be necessary. I wish more recipes had pictures of the mixing process, as dough to me can mean anything from dry bread dough to ‘hey, I could just skip the oven and drink this!’ Any ideas where I went wrong? I’m thinking I might have over-mashed the bananas. I poured them from the processor!

Hi Elaine! Processing bananas will definitely do it since they release a tonne of moisture when they’re pulverized (I’ve done this a few times too). I usually mash them by hand and fold them into the batter because they’re a lot less wet that way.

Hi Amanda! I made these oat bars this evening. SO tasty! My base came out a bit rubbery though. I did let the oat mixture sit before placing it in the pan immediately. Could this be why? Any thoughts? Thanks a ton!! Such a great find.

I know this is an older recipe of yours but I made this recently and it is dangerously good. I switched out the strawberries for raspberries and the maple syrup for honey as it is what I had on hand. I also increased the total batch size by a third but kept the method of the recipe the same. On a whim I decide to portion it out into muffin tins as every time I make anything slice like I tend to make a mess of the actual slicing part and it worked beautifully in single serve portions! I love bananas and oats but have never liked them together… until now.

I have also made 5 loafs of your Greek yoghurt Banana bread since stumbling across the recipe 6 weeks ago… For the record it works really well with bobs red mill 1-1 gluten free baking flour (which my celioac family members can eat!). Anyway- I guess this is just a long rambling way of saying this (and other) recipes of yours are delicious but I might have to refrain from making another batch as I’ve already had four serves I less than 36hrs :p they are so damn moreish!

I’m so glad that you liked the recipe, Jessica! And thanks so much for taking the time to write such a helpful comment. Also, that’s so great to know about the GF flour working with the banana bread! I’ve had quite a few readers ask me about it.

I’m glad you like it, Julia The maple syrup does add a little bit of moisture to the crust, but you an try leaving it out and just adding another half a banana. Or even replacing it with 1/4 cup of applesauce.